Liposuction is a surgical procedure that falls under body contouring. The practice is very common with millions of patients having sought the treatment throughout the globe. Liposuction is very versatile, and you can get the treatment nearly anywhere on your body.
What Is Liposuction
Liposuction is a surgical procedure in which your doctor uses a device to remove fat in target areas. The mechanism by which liposuction works is through the action of suction, in which fat is sucked from areas such as the chin, abdomen, arms, back, thighs, and legs.
In addition to removing the fat, liposuction also contours the area. As in it firms the treated area and gets rid of flabbiness.
The procedure is not for weight loss, you may consider bariatric surgeries for this purpose instead. What liposuction does is remove stubborn fat that did not respond well to diet and exercise.
Areas of the Body where You Can Get Liposuction
- Upper arms
- Chest
- Back
- Neck
- Chin
- Hips
- Thighs
- Calves
- Ankles
- Abdomen
- Buttocks
In some cases, liposuction can be a perfect treatment for gynecomastia and in certain cases a good approach for breast reduction in women.
How Does Liposuction Work?
Liposuction tends to address the number of fat cells in any given area. Following weight gain, the number of fat cells in the body increase and so does their volume. With weight loss, the fat cells never disappear, but instead shrink in size.
Liposuction works by removing the fat cells, specifically in areas that aren’t responding to exercise and diets.
Types of Liposuction
There are many different types of liposuction and each type caters to different cases.
1- Tumescent Liposuction
As the most common type of liposuction, the tumescent technique works as follows:
– Your doctor will inject a mixture of saline water and an anesthetic. The saline water is meant to facilitate fat removal. Whereas the anesthetic is to reduce pain and discomfort throughout the procedure.
– Following this your doctor will make small incisions on your skin in the target area. The incisions are to insert the cannula, a device that looks like a tube. With the cannula your doctor will begin to breakdown the fat. In the mean time, the vacuum connected to the cannula will suction the fat and other liquids.
2- Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction
Ultrasound assisted liposuction or UAL is a technique that uses ultrasound to breakdown the fat.
– Your doctor will inject a mixture of saline water and an anesthetic. The saline water is meant to facilitate fat removal. Whereas the anesthetic is to reduce pain and discomfort throughout the procedure.
– Following this, your doctor will make small incisions on the skin in target areas. Next, they will insert an ultrasound-emitting metal rod along. Once the ultrasound waves emulsify the fat as in break it down; the cannula will suction the fat away.
Laser-Assisted Liposuction
– Your doctor will inject a mixture of saline water and an anesthetic. The saline water is meant to facilitate fat removal. Whereas the anesthetic is to reduce pain and discomfort throughout the procedure.
– Following this, your doctor will make small incisions on the skin in target areas. Next, they will insert a laser fiber that emits high-intensity laser. Once the the laser emulsifies the fat as in break it down; you doctor will isnter the cannula to suction the fat away.
Anesthesia in Liposuction
There is no standard type of anesthesia administration in liposuction. This depends on your case, the amount of fat you want to remove, and the number of areas you’re targeting. Some cases might require local anesthesia, whereas other cases might necessitate general anesthesia.
With that said, our team at Esthete Clinic will be monitoring your heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure throughout the procedure. Before discharging you, we’ll keep you in the hospital for monitoring.
What to Expect After Liposuction?
After the procedure, it is normal to find swelling and bruising around the treated area. For the pain, your doctor will prescribe painkillers to help you manage the pain. In addition, you will have to take a course of antibiotics to prevent infections. There will also be drains around the wounds to help get rid of fluid build up.
You will need to wait a few days to get sufficient rest before going back to work. As for returning to your normal life including exercise, this will take a few more weeks.
Results
As the fat cells and tissue in your body adjust to the changes that took place, the aesthetic appearance of the area will not be perfect. But over time, the results will look much better and more even.
